GeoffShackelford.com

When you realize that a golf club positions the player’s hands 40 inches, more or less, from a ball 1.68 inches in diameter that must be hit precisely after a swing that may take the clubhead on a round trip of as much as 26 or 27 feet, you become aware of the importance of using clubs conforming correctly to your requirements. TOMMY ARMOUR

Given that most of the players who’ve worn shorts have been lacking in the tanning and muscle department, I say let ‘em get their Vitamin D.

But if I were Commissioner, I’d point out that athletes in other sports are dressing better and rising up the Forbes list while golfers are dressing down and moving down the list of top-paid endorsers.

The timing is also strange given that golf pant fashion has never been better in terms of fit, quality and look, with the performance pants worn by golfers appealing to non-golfers and giving off an athletic vibe.

But hey, these big macho athletes want to be comfortable no matter how it looks. Tiger once famously embraced the policy even though he acknowledged it’s not his strongest physical attribute.

"A lot of the tournaments are based right around the equator so we play in some of the hottest places on the planet," he said. "It would be nice to wear shorts. Even with my little chicken legs, I still would like to wear shorts."

He resurfaces in Mexico City this week where daily highs in the 70s and 80s are forecast.

BTW, do you think the tournament everyone wants to be like, everyone wants to go to and every player would donate a limb to win, will adopt this policy?

Oh we enjoyed the slaughtering their Cousin Eddie/nurse/lawn bowling shoes took when Rory unveiled his 2019 pair last week, but come on, you have to love the originality here from the Swoosh folks! If nothing else, they are not white. Golf has enough shoes in Pat Boone’s favorite color.

Others posted on the shoe design, or lack thereof, and the themes were predictably focused on the medicinal qualities—i.e. nurse’s shoes—, the lawn-bowling friendliness of the new line and a surprising number of Cousin Eddie references! You know, in the Christmas Vacation holiday spirit that we are all in, even the cynical millennials of Instagram!

Here is one of the posts followed by the best of the comments sections from various posts of the shoes (I see another was taken down…).

There are plenty of Instagram accounts turning into something their creators could not have imagined, so it's fun to see a few in golf joining the fray by making businesses out of good taste and fresh ideas. Even more fascinating: seeing the brands who are saddling up to them for products.

Last year the vision gained strength when Malbon Golf opened a pop-up shop on 800 N. Fairfax Ave. in the West Hollywood area of Los Angeles. Since its opening, the shop, which features a boutique store accompanied by a putting green and golf simulator, has welcomed guests ranging from Michelle Wie and Smylie Kaufman to Travis Scott and Justin Bieber.

Several collaborations have added to the snowball effect, as Malbon has teamed up with several companies, including Puma, Nike, Ecco and Jones Bag, to produce merchandise and apparel featuring the trendy Malbon logo – a golf ball wearing a hat; simple but stylish.

An Instagram account originally started as a way for Malbon to not annoy his non-golf-loving followers of his personal account has more than 37,000 followers.

Dallas, Texas, May 10, 2018: Transformative menswear brand Mizzen+Main announces a new partnership with one of the most renowned golfers and professional athletes of all time, Phil Mickelson. The five-time major champion has signed on as an official Brand Ambassador of the hyper growth, performance menswear line that has transformed an industry with its “best damn dress shirt.”

The long-term partnership makes Mickelson an equity holder in the company, joining Houston’s JJ Watt as a major partner in Mizzen+Main.

“I was waiting to find the perfect apparel partner that allowed me to move from the board room to the golf course. Mizzen+Main’s performance dress shirts enable me to do that. A big part of why I’m so thrilled to partner with them is I know all my endorsement partners and the thousands of professionals that work at those companies will love this shirt for their day to day too. These dress shirts not only look incredible but are so comfortable and versatile I can actually play golf in them. It’s remarkable to have a dress shirt I can wear from a meeting to the course. The game has changed,” remarked Mickelson.

Mickelson made waves in the sports world after wearing Mizzen+Main in a practice round with Tiger Woods at Augusta in April this year. His record as one of the best golfers of all time who represents several of the world’s greatest companies, along with being a maverick who charts his own path makes him a perfect fit for the brand.

“I started Mizzen+Main six years ago to make a dress shirt that performed at the same level as athletic apparel. Partnering with Phil is an extraordinary opportunity as one of the most renowned global athletes puts our product to the test on the course in a fun and unique way. We’re thrilled to have Lefty lead the way in the years ahead,” said Mizzen+Main Founder and CEO Kevin Lavelle.

As Brand Ambassador, Mickelson will wear Mizzen+Main’s performance fabric dress shirts regularly in tournament play, kicking off this week at the Players Championship®.

With spectators gathered, top American players including Rickie Fowler and Phil Mickelson managed to retain their trophy against opponents including Canada’s Bob Weir and India’s Anirban Lahiri. Yes, it was a sea of polo shirts and khakis, but not all polo shirts are equal. Here’s a sampling of what golfers and their fans wore.

Akbar and Megan Chisti are co-founders of Seamus Golf,the beloved Oregon-based artisans specializing in uniquely original accoutrements that adorn the traditionalist's golf style.

I love all of their efforts to blend traditional golf tartans and textures with modern simplicity. Most recently they've ambitiously tried to reimagine the golf shoe, as I reviewed here and have since enjoyed the prototype on a wet linksland masterpiece, with nothing but good things to report.

Akbar updates us on one of golf's most interesting companies in this Q&A:

GS: Why a golf shoe?

AC: I am a huge fan of walking and playing golf barefoot. This is the closest thing I've ever experienced to that. Our brand has evolved a lot in six years, starting with tartan club covers and ranging to a variety of items like heavy metal objects like the church pew inspired bottle opener. Each evolution has been the result of meeting an artisan, maker, or designer that we are inspired to work with. In this case, we met a local cobbler / retired Nike Innovation Kitchen designer that we really Jived with and lived in our hometown, Portland, Oregon.

Mike Friton is a genius, and truly one of the pioneers of simple & free barefoot movement. The modern shoe is in many ways a cast, and the whole shoe philosophy in golf is designed to keep you physically stuck to the ground. I've played many rounds barefoot and felt that you can actually have better balance and feel with less interference between you and the grass. I've found it can be difficult to really communicate my love for barefoot golf without sounding like I'm from some strange religious cult, further I have to encourage folks that playing in the Feel Player to try out what I'm talking about is the only way to see the righteous path of SEAMUS GOLF.

GS: What’s the response been like so far? Where does the Feel Player go from here?

AC: Frankly, we didn't know what to expect. I've always gone into new ventures figuring that if we don't find success, all of my friends are gonna do well with the Christmas gifts. At this point, I can say that we've had enough pre-orders that we won't have to resort to giving away our inventory! The biggest feat about this project making the shoe right here in Portland, Oregon. While most athletic shoe supply chain doesn't exist on the stateside, we found it could be interesting to try to make a shoe using many of the same techniques from our head covers and golf bags. Something that makes the rest of SEAMUS special is how custom we can get being hands on at every step of the way. Golfers are going to find it compelling when we can do that with footwear.

GS: What else is new from Seamus would you like folks to know about?

AC: Man, I don't know....there's a lot going on here but I'm just excited ya'll wanna hear about our shoe!

GS: Your products turned up at the Masters this year, The Players and of course has been a staple of the US Open for a few years now. How important is it having your stuff at the major events?

AC: We didn't have typical set of growth goals when we got started at SEAMUS. Be at Bandon Dunes, then Chambers Bay, US Open, and finally provide covers for the US Ryder Cup Team. Now that we've had the honor of adding the Players and The Masters, I have to say that these achievements have been incredible for our self confidence. At this point, I feel like we have the credibility to apply our creative energy to the most highly regarded applications in our sport. It's hard to measure exactly how much each event contributes to our growth, but we know as a whole we're growing and further we can only conclude that being at the majors is a contributing factor. There's the other more personal selfish part that our team loves being a part of these special events. I was a CPA streaming every event live to my phone up until 2012, to think that 5 years later I'd be at them in this manner is a thought that never would have crossed my mind.

GS: What’s the most interesting place you’ve played golf lately?

AC: The most interesting thing I've done on a golf course lately was basically go dune buggying on Mammoth Dunes, the second installment of the Sand Valley story. Just before they started seeding, I had the rare opportunity to go blasting through the dunes and see the whole course with Michael Keiser Jr. We were jumping through dunes and getting air time over tee boxes. This was the funnest thing I may have ever done. But that doesn't answer the question about most interesting place I've played golf lately. Have you ever heard of Royal Hawaiian Golf Club in Oahu? I think at one time it was a Fazio, then remade by Greg Norman. Locals call it Jurassic Park, and I have to say with a great amount of certainty that this is by far the best value / experience driven golf course I've ever played. SO dramatic, as are most Fazio courses, but through these crazy prehistoric vegetation you just think a Pterodactyl is gonna come grab your golf cart. By the way, this is one of the few places I will abide by the Riding or Riding option, given that they most probably have no defibrillators on the course.

I had the privilege of testing out a prototype of Seamus Golf's new Feel Player shoe and did it in the ideal conditions: a wet round at Prestwick.

The shoes held up beautifully and even better, were incredibly comfortable. Never did I question the support provided, something that seemd very much up of interest when I first unpacked these ultra-light golf shoes.

With the U.S. Women's Open set to conclude Sunday at Trump Bedminster--Shanshan Fenghas a two stroke lead, reportsGolfweek's Beth Ann Baldry--a new or updated LPGA dress code takes effect tomorrow, reports Ashley Mayoat GolfDigest.com and discussed on Morning Drive. She is reporting off of a July 2 memo to players that seems oddly timed, with the inspiration and rationale not entirely clear. And as Stephanie Wei notes, this sound like it rules out much of Michelle Wie's current Nike wardrobe.

But why and why now when the LPGA is in the spotlight?

A few of the restrictions suggest the schlub alarms went off at a pro-am party, but most seem concerned about the edge-pushing by Symetra Tour and other young players of late. Still, as Mayo writes, the memo and it's all-caps "NOT" references looks like a pre-emptive shot at Instagram "golf babes" aesthetics coupled with some oddball inclusions.

In an era when Instagram "golf babes" are dressing more provocative than ever and consequently attracting more attention and sponsorships than many professional golfers do, perhaps the LPGA Tour is trying to set an entirely different tone in an effort to command respect and separate itself as a highly different, more professional product. Even so, why take away a golfer's freedom to feel like an athlete in joggers? Or leggings? Or racerback tops? These pieces of clothing can look highly polished when worn correctly, so why not encourage a more professional look instead of banning such pieces altogether?

I'm all for exposing the athleticism of today's players and seeing where designers golf fashion to new places if it'll help non-golfers better appreciate our athletes. Or make us more comfortable when we swing a club.

But tights?

Nike's making the push with "tights", as Jessica Marksburynotes for Golf.com. I'll be on the lookout in round one of the NoTrust Open but something tells me these are still in the developmental stages. Assuming they aren't just considered shorts over your Sunday best yoga pants.

A lad with a tour card named Scott Pinckney was kind enough to be the guinea pig, though 20 years from now he could also really regret this page when it appears in the slideshow, "So, Looks That Almost Like, Really Killed."

"I love how they're raising the athletic bar in the sport of golf," Pinckney said. "I think everyone in the [NBA] All-Star game wore tights, besides maybe two or three different players. And there's a reason why they wear them. I love the look, but I mostly love the feel when I'm playing in them. And I feel refreshed when I'm done."

Tony Finau, another Nike pro, is also a believer in the tights.

"I've already practiced in them, and I feel amazing, not only during, but after [play]," Finau said. "There's just something about having [that compression] on a part of your body that you're using that helps you recover and gives you energy. People will be surprised. Even if they don't like the look, they're going to feel great wearing them. I can see myself wearing them [in tournaments]."

Alistair Taitreports on theEuropean Tour now allowing players to wear shorts two weeks in a row after petitioning from Ryder Cup captain Darren Clarke.

Even though he's a purveyor of some very stylish pants, Ian Poulter wants to see shorts as the next fashion barrier to be broken.

“It makes perfect sense to me,” Poulter said. “There shouldn’t be a problem with us wearing shorts to practice,” Poulter said. “So I’ll be baring my legs tomorrow. In fact, I really don’t see a problem with wearing shorts during tournaments. I mean it is 2016.”

While this is a First Team, All Conference First World Problem, there is an underlying sense that pants only makes golf seem uncool.

Personally, I'm old fashioned when it comes to pro golfers. They should be in pants and definitely not looking at rangefinders down the stretch. I even agree with Commissioner Kiehl's on the beard issue (sorry Old Tom).

There is good news, too. This will probably turn into one more thing European Tour Chief Keith Pelley and Tim Finchem will bicker over!

I'm curious if you think for the sake of golf's long term image, should pro golfers be allowed to wear shorts?

I feel like the only thing missing from the look is a pair of legwarmers and maybe a little 80s 'do. Which is better than some reactions, which said the boots looked like he was wearing court-ordered tracking devices.

**GolfPunktalks to PUMA Golf's Footwear headGrand Knudson who explains this was all Rickie's idea that his team executed and as the online magazine notes, a bit of a nod to the past. If unintentional:

Here are his ankles and feet at yesterday's Hyundai Tournament Of Champions in Hawaii. The high-tops are evident but what you have to look closer to see is he's also wearing a pair of tracky bottoms that form a sort of ghetto fabulous modern plus four.

Thanks to reader Andrew for this preview of renderings for an upcoming Mini-Golf Courses to be created and displayed here in Los Angeles. And while I certainly report on these in person, in the meantime we can enjoy a story linked to the de zeen magazine piece from October.

It seems during Dutch Design Week, one Jason Page unveiled his answer to golf attire that would make the game more accessible and appealing to a wide range of non-golfers.

"It’s not directly trying to include more people but it’s trying to create an atmosphere where more people would want to get involved," he said.

To pattern the jumpsuits, Page referred to maps from elite golf courses as well as the kind of language typically used by golfers to design visuals that would "open the sport".

"There are only a few restrictions in golf, and that's the type of cut of the clothing – it has to have a colour, be a different length, and it can't have a large logo," he told Dezeen.

No, no, no large logos for golfers!

"Aside from that I realised that many of the companies weren't really taking adventurous steps. They were maybe making very kitsch loud pants, but nothing which normal people, outside of golf, would want to approach or be involved in," the designer added.

I would have though Marty Hackel's pronouncement of scarf would have made this established case law, but apparently there is still some question about what to call new world No. 1 Martin Kaymer's neck embellishment during Saturday's match play.

They must not be paying enough at Golf Digest because it was disheartening to witness the always dapperly-dressed architecture and style aficionado Marty Hackel sporting a pair of (cuffed? Marty?) khakis that he picked up at the Jackson Pollack estate sale.

Brent Read talks toGeoff Ogilvy about his year and about the upcoming Australian Open. And it includes this note:

Director Paul McNamee revealed the tournament would have a strong emphasis on fashion, holding parades for female spectators. The golfers will be included, with daily awards to the best dressed player.

Meanwhile Douglas Lowereports on Ian Poulter getting into women's fashion, with this quote from Pouter:

Poulter believes both men's and women's golf fashion has moved up a notch in the last few years, but not to the level of the 1970s. "When I came out on tour in 2000 there wasn't as much fashion in golf as there was then," he said.

"If you look at pictures of Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Doug Sanders & Co, they were wearing tartan trousers and bright colours and it was fun. Why can't we get back to how it was back then?"

Golfweek TV introducesRobert Lohrer, Golfweek's new Fashion Director, and let me just say that this attempt to counter Golf Digest's one-and-only Marty Hackel is not off to a roaring start with the hole directors chair/cable access show set thing.

But more importantly, I can now say I've met Marty Hackel, and there is only one Marty Hackel!

In fact, we're only a few weeks away from his Masters fashion and merchandise tent reports, easily one of the highlights of Golf Channel's daily post round coverage (and now that I've said that, it probably means they've replaced him with a segment of Andrew Magee's top ten most incoherent thoughts of the day, sponsored in part by Grey Goose).

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RIP His Ownself, Dan Jenkins. The best sportswriter ever. Not often do you get to hang out with your hero, but I did four times a year and consider myself one lucky SOB! Thanks for all the laughs and support over the years, press rooms and media hotel bars will never be the same.

Lefty! @djohnsonpga has a good move left or righthanded

90 years ago at Riviera’s first LA Open the press worked from the clubhouse patio using a telescope and binoculars. This week the @genesisopen media center was a massive operation in between holes 1 & 2 with WiFi, a barista, interview room, TV’s and ShotLink data at our fingertips. Thank you to the staff, volunteers @tgrliveevents @genesis_usa, Brenner-Zwikel team and @pgatour for another great week at Riviera during the 2019 Genesis Open won by J.B. Holmes.